Hi all,
I have an IPod Nano 3rd Gen, and I love it. I am considering upgrading to the latest IPod touch, probably the 16 gig model. Before I do so, I want a few opinions, namely: how much do you use the wireless capabilities on the touch? How is the ebook capability? Any big draw backs?
I use the wireless a lot, but the big bummer is that you need to be around a wi-fi signal which often means you’re using it when you’re around computers. Which then of course means it’s usually just easier to use the computer.
That being said, it’s a big bonus to not have to carry a laptop to places that I DO know have a signal, just to check my email. And the applications alone are worth the purchase.
I have a 16G, and it’s plenty big enough for all my songs and a bunch of apps, so the size is right.
So far, overall, I’d have to say the iPod touch is a definite win.
PROS:
It has nearly all the capabilities of the iPhone (except for camera, microphone and telephone) and you don’t have to buy a data plan.
The features are kick-butt. The pedometer is a nice touch, and the applications make for a lot of features you never thought you’d need but once you have them, you can’t live without.
It’s pretty.
CONS:
I got an 8G iPod Touch a couple of months ago and love it. In addition to the obvious regarding music and the unit’s marvelous display, it’s handy for all sorts of other things and I find that I use it often for non-music related functions, too. The Notepad is great for noting things you need on your next trip to the store; a to-do list; reminders; etc. I use the calendar constantly to keep track of appointments and to remind me of birthdays, anniversaries, etc., and I use the Weather button often to check the temp or to see what’s gonna happen the next five days or so (weather requires wireless for current update). Games are great for when waiting at the doctor’s office or anywhere else, and being able to get online while in the bathroom at home beats reading magazines. 
Yes, wireless connectivity is spotty, but handy when you can find it. I’ve found that, contrary to popular opinion, McDonalds, hotels, etc. aren’t likely to have wireless you can access without a password. Still it isn’t all that hard, if you have the necessary time, to drive around until the unit picks up a signal from a business or residence that will allow you to log on without a password. (I’ve actually had better luck finding residential access, just drive along with the iPod searching for a signal and when you find one, pull over to the curb and log on).
In short, I highly recommend 'em. I bought mine just hoping I wouldn’t dislike it, and within a day or so was telling everyone how much I loved it. 
I got one because I wanted a sort of laptop surrogate - something to use to check and write e-mails, jump on the actual internet, listen to music, play games, etc. when I’m on the go. It’s a genius little object, just straight out of Star Trek.
The main drag about it is that about 99% of the functionality goes out the window if you’re not at a wi-fi hotspot, so you might find yourself hunting for one if you’re using it in a pinch.
When I was a student I used the wireless all the time. The whole university had wifi, and it was nice to be able to check email/websites between classes and not have to drag my laptop in everyday. I use it while traveling, too. I can usually find a coffeehouse or something with free wifi. I’ve had my Touch (16 GB) over a year now and I still love it.
I got one for Jim for Christmas, and he seems to be enjoying it. It’s turning out to be pretty handy to have while watching tv (for the perpetual game of “Hey, it’s that guy from that show!”).
McDonalds has Wi-Fi through WayPort, and they charge too much. But they have roaming partnerships with a lot of ISPs, including mine - AT&T. It allows me to log in via my AT&T username and password. It’s worked at every McDonalds I’ve visited.
Thanks for the info. I’ve tried three McDonald’s iln the area where I live and only one had wireless (for which there was a $3.95 charge for up to two hours use). The other two had no wireless at all. I suppose it varies from place to place. But thanks again for the info; I’ll try a few more as I encounter them and see if perhaps my ISP shows up.
You’re welcome.
Here’s a page about how the AT&T Wi-Fi roaming through WayPort works. AT&T bought WayPort so options if one is not an AT&T subscriber may start shrinking though.
I loved my iPod Touch, but hated that I had to find a hotspot whenever I wanted to use the internet… it really puts a dampener on my train commute. Now that I have an iPhone, I’ve never looked back.
One more feature which is commonly overlooked is the speaker. You don’t know how much you miss it until you don’t have it.
Wow, thanks guys! So many great responses- I’ll be making the purchase, most likely, if I do, in late January. One of the things that interests me about the Touch is the eReader and pdf reading capabilities. How good is it at that?
Interesting coincidence: I’ve been considering getting a new iPod Touch in the past couple of weeks because the second generation is a big improvement over the first: an input for a microphone, external volume controls and a speaker.
The earphone plug, which now contains an extra connection so headphones-with-mics can be connected, will allow the use of two important apps: a voice recorder app and the (incredible) voice-recognition Google app.
The external volume controls are a no-brainer, as the first iPod Touch had to use an on-screen slider, which means you need to turn on the display, look at it and drag the volume control. When using the iPod Touch for any length of time to listen to music, I just plug in a $6 wired remote that connects to the dock connecter, but it’s inelegant and, with the new gen, unnecessary. Another benefit of the new headphone-mic plug is that you can use a button on the mic to pause/play/skip forward and skip backward.
The speaker is a welcome addition. The first gen can only do a few select sounds (think digital watch), but the new gen contains a small speaker which is good enough to hear game sounds.
I’m spoiled because I also have an iPhone, but “internet everywhere” is a wonderful thing, even at the slower speeds afforded by the first gen iPhone, which is a definite advantage over the iPod Touch. However, the iPod Touch can connect to any wireless network, and I think we’re going to be seeing a lot more free wireless networks in the next few years. Additionally, just being able to connect to my own wi-fi network means that I can:
The first two are important to me because my Christmas gift was having my back slide out of place, and I’ve spent a lot of time in the last week lying down, and being able to control my TV and computers from bed has been a blessing.
One last thing: as far as I can tell, Apple will never call the iPod Touch or iPhone a “PDA,” probably because they still wake up screaming at night, with visions of the Newton flashing through their heads. But they’ve finally gotten enough capabilities (and more) for me to retire my Palm. The final push was that an iPhone/iPod Touch version of HandBase was released, meaning that I can carry my various databases with me (meds, expenses, auto maintenance, and my ever-important “Where is it?” database). I’m on the fence regarding my DVD database, because there’s a free app that contains my list of DVDs along with cover art, but it has limited search fields, whereas on my Palm I’ve been using a much more comprehensive database that allows me to search more fields, which is a little more useful than cover art.
They still need to agree on a copy/paste method; that’s been a glaring weakness since day one.
Another plus is that the iPod Touch has a glass screen, which means I have no worry about jamming it in my back pocket (and, on several occasions, sitting on it before realizing it was still there). (I don’t use any screen protector or case for my iPod Touch or iPhone). Their screens are actually more scratch-resistant than my Palm and my previous (4th gen) iPod, both of which required that I take measures to protect their screens. I’m from the school of thought that technology is useless if it’s so fragile that you don’t want to carry it with you everywhere.
Oh, and the iPod Touch also plays music.
I won an 8 gig iPod Touch in a drawing last spring. For $5 it has proven to be an outstanding value. I am, frankly, envious when I watch my wife getting on the internet anywhere she pleases with her iPhone. I’m due for an upgrade on my cell phone, but I am loathe to spend the additional $30 a month fee that the iPhone entails.
I have the 8 gig iPod Touch and I use the Stanza ereader all the time. There are literally thousands of older out of copyright books available for download free. Also you can buy new books online and download them straight to your iPod. Actually I mainly use my iPod for the music and books, rarely use the wifi except at home.
Me too. The iPhone is nice and I’d love one, but a data plan would add too much to my monthly cell phone bill.
I am happy with the .pdf viewing capabilities, but to be honest I dislike reading books on small electronic devices so I don’t know how that works. I do use mine at the gym to watch movies (on cardio equipment - treadmill, bikes, etc.)
Tracey got me a 32 GB Touch and I love it. Having it right there to imdb actors and such while channel surfing on TV is sweet. I’m also finding the speaker to be a great feature which allows me to play songs or podcasts for other people without struggling with sharing headphones and whatnot.
Playing podcasts on this thing has allowed me to catch up big-time on my Onion News viewing during the day and the screen is more than adequate for that purpose. I haven’t located many Wi-Fi hotspots around town yet, so I’m not able to take advantage of the web browsing capabilities when I’m on the road, but once I figure out where to go to steal a signal, that will become a more useful feature.
And, of course, I’ve quite enjoyed some of the apps I’ve downloaded - Labyrinth kicks ass. And who wouldn’t want their mp3 player to make lightsaber sounds? Sweet!
I’ve also put all the pics from our last three road trips on there, in addition to all my iTunes and the various podcasts and movie trailers that I have uploaded – and I’m still only just barely half full! Woo Hoo!
I just downloaded an app called Wifinder; DPJ - you might want to try that to find spots. I have the older Touch - no speaker.
Aurora Feint, even in the free version, is THE must have game for the Touch or iPhone. It’s more addictive than peanut butter and heroin sandwiches.
I would say, based on personal experience, that the iTouch itself is more addictive than meth.
I bought one three months ago, and I’m using it WAY too much!
I have a first generation iTouch, given to me as a birthday present, and I love it. I used to be a Palm partisan and have moved solidly into Apple’s camp with this one. The lack of cut’n’paste drives me nuts sometimes, as does the mega-lame web browser. It would be so much more useful if I could have more than one web page open at a time and if the brain-damaged thing didn’t insist on clearing the cache when I’m away from Wi-Fi. I’d like to be able to open a bunch of news stories while connected, then read through them afterwards. That, and it really should have local network browsing abilities so I can load documents and images from Windows and Mac computers on my local network. Instead, I’ve had to set up a web server on one machine to transfer files easily.
Oh, and this stupid feud keeping Flash off of the device has to end. I loathe Flash, but a tragically huge number of poorly designed sites insist on it.
I “Jailbroke” it so I can add my own apps, and have never upgraded to the 2.0 version of the operating system because I’ve found more than enough stuff to amuse me without the App Store.
Unlike Boscibo I love using this as an e-book reader. The small screen size works just fine once you get a font face and size combination that works for you. It might help that I’m very near-sighted, and I can take off my glasses and see the screen perfectly. I use pyefox’s textReader and it works wonderfully well. Between a good collection of Gutenberg books and a handful of strategy games, I’m rarely at a loss for something to occupy my time.